Fabric.



PATENTBD PEB. 11, 1908.

R. A. DUNNING.

FABRIC.

APPLIOATION FILED Nov. 1s, 1905.

Attorneys.

PATENT. ormoni.

\ ROBERT A. DUNNING, or YARMoU'rH; MAINE;

FABRIC.

No. stance.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented rsa1 i', isos.

Application iled'Noveinber 16. 1905. Serial No. 287.701.

To all 'whom ttf/nay concern:

' Be it known that I, ROBERT A. DuNNiNe,

a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at bath mats, Wash cloths, harness pads and for.

other urposes too numerous to mention, the particles or pieces vof sponge being combined m such manner as to resent a thoroughly efficient and durable fa ricfor the purposes designed. v

With the above and otherv objects in view, as will appear as the vnature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form of fabric hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of'this specification, and 1n which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts :-Figure 1 is a view in` plan of a piece of fabric constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cle-- tail View of a length 'of the fabric for weaving purposes. Fig. 3 is a view in plan showing another manner in which the invention is carried into effect. Fig. 4 is a detail view of another form of the invention.

In carrying the procedure into effect, culled or scrap spon e, whichis generally a waste product, is ta en,l and is sorted and freed from shells' or other foreign-matter or impurities, and is then run through a picking l, machine and is picked to any re uired .de-

gree of fineness. This product is t en dusted, Washed and dried. It is then treated with a suitable sizing, which may beeither a gelatin size or a paraifincompound, and is spread `out in thin sheets of proper thickness for intended use and is pressed, thereby causing the pieces of sponge to adhere to each Y other.

After the size has dried and set, the sheet of s onge is run through a quilting ma lchine an sewed on lines 1 and 2. It is than cut between the lines of stitches to form threads 3, the sizeof which will be determined by the distance that the lines of stitches are s aced, and the thread thusjpresented is-rea for weaving. For some purposes, it is o y necessary to run the treatedV lsheet of spongeA through a quilting machine both Ways as shown in Fi 1, but where it is to be woven asshown inlig. 3, the threads 3 are freed4 from sizing and are then woven on ,an suitable loom with any preferred materia' for the Warp 4 and Woof 5. the sponge forming the filling. Under some, conditions, instead of assembling the pieces of sponge by stitching,

as, described, they may be strung upon a thread 6 as shown in Fig. 4, and afterwards.

woven on a suitable loom in the mann'ei `de scribed. In making `the fabric, any quantit of sponge may be used so as to make a..

thick or thin fabric, the amount em loyed being controlled bythe use to which t e finf ished-article is to be put.

The product of the procedure herein den fined will be cheap, durable, and will `for bathing purposes possess qualities that will render its use referable toordinarytowels, such as'lurkisli, -commonly in use.

As seen in Fig. 3, the warp and woofshow through different places on the fabric and this is due to the fact that the sponge is dry, but when wet it will swell and make an even surface that will entirely conceal all of the body of the fabric. Of course, by including more sponge' or by closely and tightly weaving it, the warp and Woof may at all times be concealed from view.

It will be noted that the sponge used -in this fabric maintains its moisture absorbing and retaining characteristics inasmuch as the cells of the s onge are not destroyed in the production of the fabric, each particle of sponge being of the same cellular nature as a complete large sponge.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed i s:-

threads and having 'particles of cut sponge In testimony that I eiaim the foregoing as upon certain of the t reads;

fa ric comprising interwoven threads in the presence of two witnesses.

and particles of cut sponge supported thereby. l ROBERT A. DUN N IN G. 5 3 Woven fabric made up of threads hav- Witnesses:

ing particles of out sponge supported by the LUCY A. DUNNING,

eads. EDNA E. DUNNING.

my own, I have hereto affixed my signature 

